Give before you can receive

It's funny how life works: you have to give, before you can expect to receive.

The river Jordan flows through 2 seas; the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both receive the same water but one is a thriving lake with plenty of life and the other, is dead as it's name reveals. The difference? The Sea of Galilee doesn't keep the River Jordan; it allows it to flow through and onto the Dead Sea. Whereas the Dead Sea has no outlet. So all the water will just sit in the sea till it evaporates.

I like this story because it reflect uncannily on life itself. We all know life is not constant but the reason why life isn't constant is because everything that has life, that is thriving will give! Springs give water to the rivers and rivers flow to the sea. Seawater is given to the sky who then returns it to the springs via rain. Carnivores may eat other animals but when they die, they will rot and become the nutrition-packed earth that plants need. The herbivore in turn eat these plants. Other than cycles, plants give out pollen so bees will come and pollinate them. Spiders must produce thread before they can catch flies. Seeds push out roots before they can grow tall.

Even in the marketplace, this give and take policy is so true. Companies that are most desirable are the ones who are most active (i.e. stock bought and sold a lot). Not the biggest gainers. An exciting game of football is when there's a lot of goals involve (i.e. lots of giving in). Cars move when you 'give' the accelerator a push. Airplanes create lift by making the air above the wing 'give' way to the greater pressure from below. To get into a packed train, someone has to give way and leave the train first.

Even many self help books teach this: you have to give in order to receive. You have to give praise to receive praise. Give a smile and people smile back at you. You respect others, they in turn respect you. When you lift people up, they will in turn lift you up. How we react to others shows how others will react to us in turn.

It's really weird how everyone is always so interested in take, take, take when the world clearly shows that the way forward is to give, give, give. Asking commuters to allow those getting off the train/bus to go first is the logical idea, not only because it's good manners. Being nice to others and helping them in every way isn't just about doing good; it's also about gaining. So for all those who don't follow these ideas, they're not only rude, they're dumb as well!

And definitely, it is more blessed to give, than to receive. - Acts 20:35